Paradox Islay Batch 09 pours brilliant deep dark brown with a thin tan film of a cap. This beer has legs instead of lace. It smells like Ardbeg – briney, seaweedy, medicinal, peaty, and smoky over a coffee chocolate malt background. There is a wonderful marriage between the rich malt flavors and the scotch that place this near the twilight zone between scotch and beer. It has a big, bold alcoholic body with a touch of heat and below average carbonation. It is a shame that this is no longer brewed.

Had a bottle of this back in 2008, This brew was probably one of the first barrel aged beers I ever had. It was like something I had never had before. I can remember opening the bottle and pouring it out. Looked perfect because at the time I was a big Stout lover. Poured out as a deep black with a brown head that fizzled away pretty quickly. The smell was almost like sniffing a Johnny Walker bottle. The Scotch was very sharp on the nose and just beyond that was some of the stout elements like burnt malts and some dark chocolate. The taste was almost like drinking Scotch as well. I was really surprised by the power that the barrel aging had on this beer. The mouthfeel was smooth and on the lighter side. Overall I'm sure a lot of people may love this but for me I felt that it was too much for me at the time.

A: Pours black, yet some light manages to shine through. Head is about a centimeter thick and cream-colored, and leaves some lacing as it settles quiclky into a thin film.

S: Aroma scrams Islay. Malt brings on roasted character and coffee, with smoke, wood, and brine from the barrels.

T: Once again, ISLAY! Peat smoke, brine, and wood, along with hints of coffee, chocolate, and earth. Could possibly have the most "barrel influence" of any of the Paradox series. The finish is sweet, with honey, and some dried fruit character.

Notes: This brew is full of flavor, and has a finish that stains the palate, although I would have liked a bit more body. Alcohol is definitely present. Excellent beer, though, and I am happy to have tried it.

D - This wasn't the easiest beer to drink that for sure but its was a decent sipping beer glad I was only given some of the bottle as I really probably couldn't drink more than a few ounces at a time anyway

A: Looks not quite black on the pour, more of a cola color, but gives a nice solid brown-tan head of one finger and mostly smaller bubbles. In the glass, the beer is a very very deep brown. Almost, but not quite black. The head doesn't seem to have the greatest retention, and lacks texture.

S: There is an odd combination of roasted grain and alcohol here. Not a good, warming alcohol but like rubbing alcohol. I find it rather offputting, and it's not something I would think would develop with age.

T: The taste is better. A smokey whiskey flavor underlies the roasted grain, the two different flavors playing back and forth for dominance. The smell keeps getting in the way, but when I do get the taste, it's pretty enjoyable. Not great, but interesting. Sometimes I get a little coco, sometimes not. Nothing sweet though, and no dark fruits like you might from a RIS.

M: Light body mostly, smooth, though there are some times when it seems a little sharp and bitter rather than slick. I would think of this more of a strong ale than stout, but they say stout.

D: Overall, the alcohol is hidden well in the taste, but not the aroma. The body is lacking, but not to a point of failure. I'm glad to have tried it to compare it to other Paradox Series beers, but I'm also glad I paid so little for it.

This review is from 6/7/08. I just now realized that my original review was for the wrong paradox islay beer. Oooops!

The speyside version of this beer was good, but this was other worldly. This is definitely a great beer for those who love dark beer and single malt scotch. A marriage made in heaven for us....

Had this at Max's the other night during their Tuesday social hour. Apparently it is being introduced into our market.

The beer pours a black brown color with good head retention and lacing. The beer looks impressive, but on the nose... mama mia!!! I am absolutely blown away by the aroma of smokey peat, wet stones and leather. The nose on this beer is an absolute single malt drinker's dream. I get it that they used adberg scotch casks to age this beer, but did they bother to drain the scotch out of the barrel before they added the beer? On the palate this beer is nearly as impressive, giving the impression of a rich scottish ale blended with single malt. The beer is fairly dry, and I think the scotch flavor cuts down the sweet natural maltiness of this beer. Again, one gets impressive flavors of leather, heather and even wet horse blanket superimposed on the smokey peat and malt flavor. This is just an amazing beer; this ain't your daddy's normal stout is all I can say. Surprisingly, the beer is no more then medium bodied and is not the least bit tiring or heavy on the palate. As for drinkability, I noticed this beer became progressively easier to drink the more I sipped of it - not entirely sure that's a good thing. :-)

Granted, this beer is not for everyone, but anyone who loves single malt scotch and stout will probably be very happy. The finish on this beer is actually more remeniscent of what I expect from single malt then stout, and I found myself sipping it gently accordingly. Quite impressive. Exceptional.

The color is a very, very, dark mahogany with about an inch and a half of tan head that has good retention and good lacing.The smell is unlike any other beer I've had; it has to be the Islay barrels. There is oak, peat, smoke and whisky.The taste has an immense smoke flavor with a lot of peat bouncing around it and the whiskey and oak are there but playing second fiddle. The flavor stands out even more than the aroma. Not being a scotch drinker there may be some things that I am missing.Mouthfeel is pretty smooth with just a bit of hop bitterness acting prickly on the tongue. Maybe slightly lighter than would be desired but it's no problem.Drinkability is good even at 10%. A sipper for sure.

This is an impressive beer and the best of many Brew Dog beers I've had. It's different and not for everyone but if you like it, you'll like it a lot. If you're a brave beer drinker you should try this.

Appearance: Dark black, mocha-colored head, decent lacing but not as much head retention as I'd hoped for.

Smell: Huge peat from the scotch barrels, and I'd be willing to say that if you're not a fan of Islay scotch, you may not be a fan of this brew, because it's dominating. That said, it also mixes nicely, especially as it warms, with the roasted and chocolate notes, along with bitter coffee, that also come through very well.

Taste: Wow. Yep. This was in Islay scotch barrels, and be forewarned: it's not light on the smoke and scotch characteristics. I had it chilled a bit, which brought more of the peat and smoke to the forefront, but as it warms, the sweeter roasted malt, chocolate, and coffee flavors, along with a bit of dark berries, are there, and then it slides quickly into Scotch City. Vanilla, peat, and warming alcohol quickly leave a lasting residue on the palate. Amazing stuff. I have a bottle I'm aging, so we'll see what happens in some years.

Mouthfeel: Heavier-bodied, with a good viscous amount of carbonation, making it coating but not cloying in the least, which surprised the hell out of me. I think the scotch does wonders in lessening the carbonation and adding that good full mouthfeel.

Drinkability: This is not your Jefferson Reserve bourbon barrel stout. That's for damn sure. This makes that feel like a lighter porter in my opinion. A little pricey at $10 or so, yes, but if you're a single malt scotch drinker, and love the Islay stuff, this will certainly be for you. If not, you might want to stay away. I hope to be able to try more in the future.

Thanks to my gorgeous wife for giving me this for my birthday in January, along with several other beers that I wouldn't have spent this kind of money on myself. She rocks! And no, I won't trade her, so don't ask.

This is black. The nose is shocking. I wasn't really prepared for the smoke.

Holy crap. This isn't my thing, at all. The peaty smokiness overwhelms whatever else might be lurking in this brew. I've given it a chance to warm up - nothing. There's a stout underneath this, but I can barely make it out, much less the whiskey that I was so looking forward to. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to finish the 11.2 oz. & I'm positive I don't need another, not tonight, probably not ever.

Disappointed. Based on this I won't be shelling out big bucks for another Paradox brew anytime soon.

11.2oz bottle poured into a snifter at around 50 degrees. More head than I expected out of a barrel aged high ABV beer. About 2 finger widths of creamy/frothy tan head. The body of the beer is midnight black. Good frothy lacing left patterns of bubbles on the sides of the glass. Thin rim of head stuck around for the entire experience. Awe inspiring.

Smells like peat moss, with some burnt wood, vanilla, and rubbing alcohol. Stings a little. Faint caramel and butterscotch, smoke.

Taste is better than I expected. I've gotten a little tired of these crazy barrel aged beers where most of the beer's flavor is completely gone, but this one delivers. There's lots of whiskey notes in the foreground. Strong caramel, vanilla, peat moss, burnt wood, cherries, and some alcohol attempt to mask a beautiful chocolatey imperial stout backbone that comes through at the end. A buttery rum flavor dominated the mid-range. It's also a little bit dry in the finish, hinting at some roasty coffee bits that play nicely with the strong alcoholic cherry flavor. Bonus points for the incredible depth achieved in the flavor profile.

Viscous, oily, smooth and a little spriteful make the feel solid all around. Barrel aging usually does wonders for the depth of feel too so this is no surprise.

More approachable than I expected based on the nose-sting and alcohol smell/taste that is apparent from start to finish. Everytime I finish a sip though, I feel sustained for a while, licking the roof of my mouth and still getting all sorts of amazing peat moss after-taste. I'd suggest sipping this beer over the course of at least an hour, enjoying the depth as you go along, almost how you'd enjoy whiskey.

Overall if you think of this beer as not just a beer, but a whiskey hybrid, it's extremely well done and the beer is not completely lost in the shuffle. At $9.99 for a 12oz bottle I would recommend it for a special treat if you like whiskey. Sure, it's a steep price to pay but it will probably also be the most interesting beer you've had to date, it was for me.

not sure what to make of this one. the ardbeg 1991 cask is so top notch that it's hard for me not to love this beer. and hard to just sip its delicious goodness. pretty poor head retention but nice lace. let's move on. peat. smoke. whisky. coffee. cocoa. the taste is whisky up front like cascade hops in a west coast ipa. peat and smoke in the finish. everything else in the middle. if you love smoke and booze, then this is your dream beer. if you are a wuss, then please, at all costs, avoid it.

11.2 ounce bottle, best before March 22, 2009. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with a half inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both good. The aroma is Islay scotch, peat, smoke and wood. The taste is similar to the aroma, but there's a little bit of licorice noticable, but for the most part it tastes like Scotch. It's very smoky and peaty. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's smooth and has mild carbonation. Drinkability is good, although this is a sipping beer. If you like Islay scotch or Scottish Ales, then you should like this beer. I thought this beer was very good, although due to the price this is something I wouldn't buy too often. But it is good and worth a try if you've never had a Scotch barrel aged beer before.

Pours a dark brown color with a nice beige/white head. Smell is excellent with lots of islay smokey whiskey notes, but also chocolate, liquorice and toasted malt. Taste is maybe not as good as the smell, but still very interesting. Lots of whiskey and smoke here, but also some nice chocolate and liquorice. Mouthfeel is good, but could have been even more filling. I think it would have been even better if the beer had more body. Drinkability is maybe not that high, but it's an excellent choice to share with a friend. A bit pricey though. Had it at the pub for 120 SEK.